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April 19, 1955' w. E. NORDMARK 2,706,516

FOLDING CHAIR ACCESSORY Filed Feb. 1, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Father EJVZ) rdmarli 11: 1'

ATTORNEY April 19, 1955 w. E. NORDMARK FOLDING CHAIR ACCESSORY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 1, 1954 I414!!! IIIIIIIII II INVENTOR Fill-1'61 .E-Ml'dmfllk BY mwztzwd ATTORNEY United States Patent FOLDING CHAIR ACCESSORY Walter E. Nordmark, Grand Rapids, Mich., assignor to American Seating Company, Grand Rapids, Mich., a corporation of New Jersey Application February 1, 1954, Serial No. 407,336

4 Claims. (Cl. 155188) The present invention relates to chairs and more particularly to useful accessories adapted for removable attachment to the backrests of folding chairs.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an accessory adapted for quick and easy attachment to and detachment from the rear of the backrest of a chair, said accessory comprising an article of utility such as a communion-cup holder or an ashtray for use of the occupant of a chair disposed in the rear of the chair to which the accessory is attached.

Illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a rear perspective view of a conventional folding chair having a communion-cup holder accessory attached to the rear of the backrest thereof;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of the same taken on line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the communioncup holder accessory per se;

Figure 4 is a rear elevational view of the same;

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view of the same taken on line 55 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a rear perspective view of a folding chair having an ashtray accessory attached to the rear of the backrest thereof; and

Figure 7 is an enlarged central vertical sectional view of the ashtray accessory per se.

Referring now in detail to these drawings and referring first particularly to Figures 1-5, the folding chair shown in Figures 1 and 2 is of more or less conventional construction and comprises an inverted U-shaped tubular metal front frame which forms the front legs 10 and an upper backrest support 11, tubular metal rear legs 12 hingedly connected to the front legs 10, and a seat 13 mounted on brackets 14 secured by suitable folding chair connections to the front legs 10 and rear legs 12. The metal tubing of the front frame of the chair is of the seam type, being provided along its inner edge with a pair of outwardly turned flanges 15, 16 between which is an inwardly opening seam 17.

The backrest 18 of the chair comprises a sheet metal panel the top and side edges of which conform to the shape of the tubular backrest support 11 and are provided with a continuous outwardly turned flange 19 fitted into the seam 17 of the backrest support and secured therein as by welding (not shown).

The junction of the backrest 18 with the backrest support 11 at the top of the chair forms an upper indentation 20. The backrest panel is bowed forwardly thus defining a rearwardly opening recess. The horizontal lower marginal edge 21 of the backrest 18 is curled rearwardly, upwardly, forwardly and slightly downwardly thus forming with the body of the backrest a lower indentation 22 opposed to and spaced below the upper indentation 19 of the chair. The upper and lower indentations 19 and 22 are thus located at diametrically opposite portions of the backrests rearwardly opening recess.

The communion-cup holder accessory shown per se in Figures 3, 4 and 5 and shown attached to the chair in Figures l and 2, comprises a thin spring metal base plate 23 which is of vertically elongated rectangular form. A metal strip 24 has its middle portion secured as by welding to the rear surface of the base plate 23 slightly below the middle thereof and the oppositely laterally extending arms 25, 26 of the strip 24 are curled rear- 2,706,516 Patented Apr. 19, 1955 wardly, inwardly and then forwardly to form sockets in which are disposed a pair of annular rubber elements 27, 28 adapted to receive communion cups 29 therein.

The accessory is installed on the chair by first engaging the lower edge of the base plate 23 in the lower indentation 22 of the chair as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2. Next the upper edge of the base plate 23 is engaged in the upper indentation 20 of the chair as indicated in broken lines in Figure 3, and the base plate then assumes a rearwardly bowed form as shown due to the fact that the length of the base plate 23 is slightly greater than the distance between the chairs opposed indentations 20 and 22. The base plate 23 is finally sprung forwardly into engagement with the backrest 18 as as shown in full lines in Figure 2, and the accessory is thus securely attached to the chair. The upper edge of the base plate 23 is desirably provided with a rearwardly struck centrally located lug 30 which engages the tubular front frame to prevent the base plate 23 from working into the seam 17 of the tubing. The accessory may readily be removed from the chair by springing the base plate rearwardly and removing its upper and lower edges from the indentations 20, 22 of the chair.

The accessory illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 comprises a more or less conventional ashtray generally designated 31, the base 32 of which is secured as by means of rivets 33 to the accessorys base plate 23 which is similar to the base plate 23 previously described. The attachment of this ashtray accessory to the chair, and its removal,

therefrom, is accomplished in the identical manner described in connection with the communion-cup holder.

Obviously other articles of utility may be attached to base plates like the base plates 23 and 23 shown to form useful accessories adapted for quick and easy attachment to and removal from folding chairs of the type shown or other fixed or folding chairs provided with the requisite spaced indentations as described. While but two specific embodiments of the invention have been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details may be altered or omitted without departing from the spilritlof the invention as defined by the following claims.

1. An accessory for a chair having a forwardly bowed backrest defining a rearwardly opening recess and having at diametrically opposite portions of the recess opposed indentations, said accessory comprising a normally flat spring metal base plate and an article of utility mounted on said plate, the length of said plate being slightly greater than the distance between said indentations whereby the opposite ends of the plate may be inserted in the indentations and removably secured therein by springing the plate forwardly into engagement with said backrest.

2. An accessory for a chair having an inverted U-shaped front frame forming the front legs and an upper backrest support for the chair, and a backrest mounted in the backrest support and forming with said support an indent tion at the upper rearward junction of said parts, the lower edge of said backrest being curled rearwardly to form a second indentation opposed to and spaced below the first indentation, said accessory comprising a vertically elongated spring metal base plate and an article'of utility mounted on said plate, the length of said plate being slightly greater than the distance between said indentations whereby the opposite ends of the plate may be inserted in the indentations and removably secured therein by springing the plate forwardly into engagement with said backrest.

3. A double communion-cup holder comprising a base plate adapted for removable attachment to the backrest of a chair, and a metal strip having its middle portion secured to the base plate and having its oppositely laterally extending arms curled rearwardly and inwardly to form sockets, and a pair of annular elements disposed in said sockets respectively and adapted to receive communion-cups therein.

4. A double communion-cup holder comprising a base plate adapted for removable attachment to the backrest of a chair, and a metal strip having its middle portion secured to the base plate and having its oppositely laterally extending arms curled rearwardly and inwardly References Cited in the file of this patent 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS Sommer Oct. 16, 1894 Rees Aug. 10, 1915 Rowling Jan. 6, 1931 10 4 Glende June 21, 1932 Versen May 26, 195-3 Whitman Nov. 10, 1953 Astleford Jan. 19, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS Switzerland June 27, 1894 

